Free speech takes a hit in Berkeley

People protesting controversial Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos march in the street on Wednesday night in Berkeley.

People protesting controversial Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos...

Free speech is a proud hallmark of Berkeley. The objectors to Milo Yiannopoulos’ offensive rhetoric should take no comfort in their “success” in denying him a public soapbox. This was a defeat for free speech. After all, the excuse of “public safety” concerns to silence a voice could well be used in the future to quash a speaker from the far left considered to be too provocative for public consumption.

Yes, Yianopoulos is a hate-spewing loudmouth who thrives on conflict. After his opponents forced a cancellation, the night turned violent in a crowd that included troublemakers who had nothing to do with the original protest.

The aftermath is splintering in several directions. President Trump, predictably enough, responded with a veiled threat to cut off federal funding the university. He suggested the university was responsible for the mayhem, a knee-jerk conclusion that’s way off base.

Campus police, who said they were prepared, were overwhelmed by the protest. In addition, Berkeley students are angry at the that their school, made famous by the Free Speech Movement, is tarred by a fringe group of organized troublemakers.

A university or any other public gathering spot must allow for free expression. In this case, the breaking point was Yiannopoulos, a flashy self-promoter with far-right views on race, gender and immigration. His toxic message, too far fetched to take seriously, is calculated to inflame and infuriate.

A demonstration was expected and even welcomed. Though the threat of violence was in the air, Berkeley campus leaders said there wasn’t a choice about canceling the talk. The U.S. Constitution is unequivocal, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said in a campus memo, and the university can’t bar views that are “hateful and discriminatory.’’

Yiannopolous became the acid test of that guarantee. Short of inciting violence or direct harm — such as the old adage about shouting “fire” in a crowded theater — he has the right to speak his mind. Hate speech, like it or not, is free speech.

As the demonstration got out of control Wednesday night, university security canceled the speech, regrettably but responsibly — but that did not prevent the mayhem that followed.

The harried speaker, hustled away amid the chaos, got just what he wanted: publicity and sympathy from his pathetic followers. The campus, which correctly stood up for his right to speak, is feeling the public backlash. That’s especially undeserved since most of the violent protestors came from elsewhere, according to other demonstrators who didn’t toss fireworks or knock down police barricades.

A principled defense of free speech doesn’t mean just guaranteeing your right to express yourself. It requires standing up for the rights of others whose views you find objectionable, even repulsive.